Clear Mandate in favour of BJP in Maharashtra Civic Polls

t is a clear mandate in favour of the BJP in the recently concluded 2017 civic polls in Maharashtra. Except for Thane, the BJP won every city corporation easily, while in Mumbai it is just two seats behind Shiv Sena. Of the 1,268 municipal seats, the party won 628, more than tripling its 2012 tally. There could not be a better affirmation of support for the party in power at the State as well as its Chief Minister, who sphere headed the campaign from the front. Besides fielding competitive candidates in places where the party had a strong base, the BJP’s strategy to field new and young faces yielded strong returns. The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party were reduced to minor players in most of the corporations.

In Mumbai, the Shiv Sena has, for the first time since it came to power nearly 25 years ago, seen a close competitor in the BJP. Now clearly, the BJP has become the central pole of Indian politics, a position the Congress occupied for a long time.
In the recently concluded Maharashtra Municipal, Zila Parishads and Panchayat Elections the BJP made massive gains throughout the state. The BJP won eight Municipal Corporations i.e. Ulhasnagar, Nashik, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Akola, Amravati and Nagpur and in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the party did very well and was only two seats behind Shiv Sena for which results were declared on 23 February, 2017. After the announcement of results, the BJP Karyakartas celebrated its impressive show as vijay utsav across the state.
The party also performed very well in Zila Parishads and Panchayat. The BJP won at least 470 seats, more than double of its 2012 tally of 205 across Maharashtra while the Shiv Sena won 215; it won 227 seats in 2012. During these elections, Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis himself spearheaded the campaign and decided the candidates and strategy of the party.
In the 227-member BMC, the BJP took its tally to 82 from 31 in 2012. The Shiv Sena got 84 seats, up from 75. The Congress tally went down from 52 to 31. The BJP also expanded its base and captured Pimpri Chinchwad, despite fierce competition from the NCP.
The biggest loser in Maharashtra was the Congress which saw its 2012 tally of 264 seats fall to an incredible 99. Such was the disappointment that Sanjay Nirupam, the party’s Mumbai President resigned from his post. The MNS too had an extremely poor showing winning just 16 seats across Maharashtra; it had won 112 in 2016. Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party(NCP), on the other hand, won 108 seats. It had won 265 in 2012.

Narendra Modi thanks people for their faith in politics of development and good governance

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi thanked the people of Maharashtra for their faith in the politics of development and good governance. In a series of tweets, he praised BJP workers, particularly Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis and state party president Raosaheb Danve Patil, for tirelessly working for the people.
Noting that the overwhelming blessings in Maharashtra came after Odisha, he thanked each and every Indian for continuously placing their faith in BJP. “It has been a great start to 2017! First the unprecedented support in Odisha & now the overwhelming blessings from people of Maharashtra,” he tweeted.
The PM said BJP is unwavering in the resolve to serve Maharashtra with unparalleled diligence, transparency & taking the state to even greater heights.
Shri Modi said through hardwork, determination and work on the ground, BJP is now a strong force both in urban & rural Maharashtra. Congrats to Karyakartas. He added BJP is unwavering in the resolve to serve Maharashtra with unparalleled diligence, transparency and taking the state to even greater heights.

Amit Shah congratulates Maharashtra BJP for excellent performance

BJP National President Amit Shah congratulated the Bharatiya Janata Party team in Maharashtra after it notched spectacular victories, bagging eight of the 10 major civic bodies and it’s excellent performance in Mumbai.
BJP President lauded Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis and BJP state President Shri Raosaheb Danve for the party’s unprecedented success in the BMC and other civic bodies’ elections. “I heartily congratulate the people of Maharashtra for supporting the BJP’s policy of development and reposing faith in ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas’ agenda,” Shri Shah tweeted.

BJP is capable of winning major States on its own

Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley too hailed the party’s astounding win in Maharashtra saying the results confirms that the party is capable of winning major states on its own. He also hit out at Congress for its dismal show. “In Odisha, Congress got squeezed out of contest. In Maharashtra, it got pushed to 3rd or 4th place in most cities. Results of local polls in Odisha and Maharashtra have shown that BJP is capable of winning major States on its own,” said Shri Jaitley.
Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh spoke to CM Shri Fadnavis to congratulate him on the BJP’s exceptional performance and said the BJP activists have helped expand its base across the state.
Union Urban Development Minister Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu said the BJP’s victory in civic body elections reflect peoples’ faith in BJP leadership. Thumping victory of BJP reinforces peoples’ faith in PM Shri Narendra Modi and CM Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Shri Naidu said.
Union Minister for Surface Transport Shri Nitin Gadkari also applauded the party’s spectacular victory in the state civic elections.

BJP sweeps ZP and Panchayat polls

Besides securing a landslide victory in Maharashtra municipal corporation elections 2017, BJP also won big in 25 Zilla Parishad and 118 Panchayat Samitis. Like the urban areas the BJP also done very well in the rural areas all across the state. There also seems to be a resounding acknowledgment that people support the twin themes of development and transparency, the planks on which the BJP executed its election campaign.
Out of total 1514 seats in Zilla Parishad, BJP has emerged victorious in 370 seats, NCP bagged 317 seats, Congress has won 277 seats, Shiv Sena in 240 and independents managed to bag 127 seats. The Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections across Maharashtra state was held in two phases. Phase 1 was conducted on February 16 for a total of 855 seats for the Zilla Parishad while the Panchayat Samiti polls covered 1,712 seats on the same day. The phase 2 of Maharashtra Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti Elections were held on February 21 in which a total 191 Zilla Parishad seats and 382 panchayat Samiti seats went to the poll. In Panchayat Samiti election the BJP also got majority of seats in the state.